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<title>Stories of the Second Self: Night Life by John_Steiner</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499833">Stories of the Second Self: Night Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner'>John_Steiner</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alter Idem [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Urban Fantasy - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:29:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>473</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499833</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Steiner/pseuds/John_Steiner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two friends enter a bar as part of a surprise event one set up for the other. Yet, it's no ordinary surprise when the supernatural becomes real.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Alter Idem [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stories of the Second Self: Night Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The new bar and grill looked great, but when my friend and I went in everyone had red eyes and fangs.</p><p>"SURPRISE!" everyone shouts all at once, giving me a heart attack.</p><p>"Goddamn!" I exclaim, and they all crack up laughing.</p><p>"Gotcha!" Darrell cackles out at me pointing, "You should see your face!"</p><p>"Fuckin' not funny!" I am steamed, "Really, that shit's not funny!"</p><p>"Ohh, don't be a spoilsport," Darrell bemoans, still grinning.</p><p>"I'm tellin' ya," I shout, "Vampires are real now!"</p><p>"Yeah,  I suppose you're right," his tone winds down from hysterical laughter to simply bemused, "Speaking of which, did you wanna get sponsored?"</p><p>"What do you mean, sponsored?" I ask, feeling an even less pleasant surprise coming on.</p><p>"That's what we set this up for," Darrell waves around, "Real vampires don't have red eyes, they're solid black. And they don't have long retractable fangs, either."</p><p>"How the hell do you know?" I exclaim, stepping back from him.</p><p>"Relax," he waves his hands up to me, "Believe me, you'd know if I was one. Though, look around."</p><p>I do, and everyone's taking red contacts out and the plastic dental cutlery that was held onto their real teeth by way of strawberry Starbursts molded to look like their gums.</p><p>That's when it hits me. One in ten of them are palid, and that the same tenth have oily black eyes. Every tooth in a vampire's mouth is sharp but of normal length.</p><p>"I'm doin' it," Darrell proclaims, hand to his chest, "It's gonna be hard. But now they know how to change us. C'mon, it'll be fun. We just have to watch the UV lights people are putting up, and try not to get caught by the National Guard or the cops."</p><p>"You're not fucking with me this time, are you," I breathe with apprehension.</p><p>"You can walk away from this if you want," Darrell offered, "but really why would you? Think about it. We won't just have centuries-long lifespans, but everlasting life! And you'll be a strong son-of-a-bitch!"</p><p>He wasn't even turned, and already he was high off the possibilities of it. I shake my head, already unconsciously stepping back. Somehow, the look on Darrell's face is more disturbing than those of the vampires in this bar.</p><p>"What happened to you, Darrell?" I ask, desperate to see any sign of the guy I grew up with.</p><p>"Let's just say I got tired of bein' fucked with by those goddamn mongrels in the street packs," Darrell seethes, his prior humor vaporized in a flash, "Boy, when I'm turned, I'm gonna beat me down a howler. Not even feed on the fucks, just bash their brains in. Maybe get silver knuckles to do it, and watch the bitches twitch from the poisoning."</p><p>Before I knew I needed to, I ran right out of there.</p>
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